Nearly two dozen autistic people or their caregivers in 19 countries told Spectrum how the initial weeks of the pandemic have challenged and changed them.

A new study highlights the challenge of distinguishing genetic variants linked to autism from those associated with cognitive development.

Living in close quarters, with rotating staff and sometimes inadequate protective equipment, group-home residents are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

Standardized tests can reliably assess memory, language ability, executive function and other traits in people with intellectual disability linked to autism.

Doctors often conflate autism and intellectual disability, and no wonder: The biological distinction between them is murky. Scientific progress depends on knowing where the conditions intersect — and part ways.

Too few students with autism or intellectual disabilities have sex education. That omission may prevent them from forming fulfilling romantic relationships, and it may make them targets of abuse.

Researchers have cataloged more than 100 mutations in DDX3X, a candidate gene for autism.

People with mutations in a gene called TBR1 have unusual features in several brain regions, along with autism traits and developmental delay.

Rare mutations in a gene called BAZ2B are associated with various conditions of brain development, including autism.

Autistic people who are hyperactive or have difficulty controlling their own impulses are the most likely to show ongoing self-injury.